


Shine On

by quicksiluers



Category: Doctor Sleep (2019), Doctor Sleep - Stephen King, The Shining (1980)
Genre: Angst, Fix-It, Fix-It of Sorts, Fluff, Gen, Hurt/Comfort, Uncle-Niece Relationship, and tried to merge them together?, cause we all suffered, i love the ending to the movie and the book, some fluff at the end kinda
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-11-10
Updated: 2019-11-10
Packaged: 2021-01-27 06:13:35
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,986
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21387421
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/quicksiluers/pseuds/quicksiluers
Summary: It pained him to think of his mother at times. Not that Dan didn’t love her. He loved her more than he thought possible. But as the years went on he had begun to forget what her face looked like. Her true face.The death flies covered every inch of her in his memory. He longed to see her again, one more time, without them.(A fix it of sorts, an attempt to merge the book and movie ending)
Comments: 9
Kudos: 82





	Shine On

**Author's Note:**

> So I loved this movie. I love this book. And, for each of them, I love their respective endings. I think both work, but I thought I'd maybe try and merge the two...cause I do love seeing Dan alive! But at the same time, him seeing his mother at the end of the movie destroyed me emotionally. 
> 
> So, I made an attempt! First time writing for Dan and Abra, so they may be a bit rough but I hope I captured what I see in them. Cause I love them both. 
> 
> Also, Jack is mentioned in this and I leaned more toward the movie!Jack just because of the scene in Doctor Sleep when he's "Lloyd" he seemed...so cold towards Danny. Obviously cause the hotel was trying to make him drink and had essentially taken Jack over. But I do love Jack, he's such an interesting character in the books. It's too bad the movie version wasn't as fleshed out but hey, what can you do.

It pained him to think of his mother at times. Not that Dan didn’t love her. He loved her as much as his heart would allow. The feeling of her protective arms wrapped around him, her embrace warm and safe in the deathly cold of the Colorado air, was a memory he clung to for years. His mother loved him more than anything in the world and he in return did the same. 

As the years went on, however, he had begun to forget what her face looked like. Her true face. When he would close his eyes and try to picture her, all he could see where those flies. The disgusting, black death flies that swarmed her face, covering those warm eyes he desperately needed to see. He would gasp, his own eyes snapping open, and try to calm his hammering heart from breaking through his chest. It would take longer for his hands to stop shaking.

In those final weeks with her, he remembered how stressful everything had become. He would try his best to appear sober to his mother, but she knew better. It was hard to see, the flies crawling around her lips, covering her face, but he was familiar with the sad smile she had for her son. The buzzing sound droned on in his head anytime he was with her and it only took a few shots of whiskey for the noise to dull. That wasn’t so bad, was it? It was only a few, it wasn’t as if he was drinking the entire thing as his father would have. 

How wrong Dan had been. 

Hitting rock bottom was his own personal hell. The drinking, the thing he had sworn to himself he would never do like his father - _ but god it felt so good when those nightmares would invade his mind and he could wash them away _ \- was killing him. Looking in the mirror was like looking at a man half dead. Eyes bloodshot, skin pale. It was harder to hold back his anger in the state he had settled himself in. Like his father. 

It was all he could remember of his father. 

Dan didn’t know what drew him to Frazier, New Hampshire. It wasn’t by chance, this much he knew. Nothing in his life was by chance. There was a purpose, but it took him time to solve it. But during that time, he gained a friend. Billy Freeman was too good for someone like him. He didn’t deserve the kindness that this stranger provided him. It was comforting, having someone watch out for him. Dan had been alone for so long, with his memories and his demons haunting him. But Billy, John Dalton, the people he interacted with in this town...they embraced him. Allowed him to settle into a home he never thought he could have. The work at the hospice gave him a new purpose. The shining, which he had thought was a burden for most of his life, could be used for something to help people. To comfort them as they passed. Many times, he wished he could have done the same for his mother. But he was making up for that now. 

Even when the nightmares would invade his mind, running through the halls of the Overlook with panic coursing through him, Dan knew he would be ok. 

Then Abra Stone burst into his life. 

They had talked, from time to time on the chalkboard. Simple messages, a “ _ hello _ ” here or a “ _ hi _ ” there. When he would return from the hospice, a small smile crept on his face when there was a new message on the board. It was simple. 

Slamming into the ground that night, after being awoken by his wall bursting apart, the cold dread that he thought he locked away crept over his body. The word reflecting in the mirror,  ** _REDRUM_ ** , caused memories to come flooding back - _ his heart had been pounding, terror fueling him as he ran from his deranged father, the father he loved so much, chasing him with an ax. Oh god, oh god what was he going to do, what about his mother? His chest felt like it was collapsing in itself, in the place his father had killed Mr. Hallorann _ \- and he could feel the fear his friend (whoever it was) was struggling with. 

When Abra found him - _ how powerful was she to find him so easily?  _ \- everything snowballed from there. The plan to kill the True Knot had gone well until the end. He could still feel the warmth of Billy’s blood on his face, the vacant gaze in his best friend’s eyes as Dan knelt over his body. The panic in Abra’s voice as she asked about “The Crow” and then she was gone.

And he was alone. 

Wasn’t he always alone?

God, he had wanted to drink. He gripped the bottle like a lifeline. Everything had gone to shit, he couldn’t reach Abra. Her father was dead, Billy was dead, she was gone and it was all apart of his fucked up plan. Did he actually think it could work? If he could just take a drink, he could erase this way, he could go back into the hole he bel-

The glass had shattered across his room, a chocked scream leaving his throat. No. It wasn’t going to be like this. Abra needed him like he had needed Dick when they were at the Overlook. Dick had come, without a thought of what could happen. 

_ You still have a debt. Pay it.  _

When he pulled up to that motel, he had never felt more realized. Dan had ran to Abra, who had jumped up to meet him, and they clung to one another. Nothing was said. It didn’t need to be. The day had been long. 

There was only one place they could go, though the idea oozed over him with dread. He felt his stomach flipping at the notion. The place that haunted his nightmares, that never left the corners of his mind. But it was the only way. Rose would be coming and she would hold nothing back, now that it was just her. Desperation was something that Dan understood very well. 

Everything at the hotel felt like a blur. Dan was having trouble picturing it, though he didn’t understand why. He was dead. He couldn’t let the hotel get to Abra, the moment she stepped into that building it had set its sights on her. Having the boiler blow up was the only way. And it had, hadn’t it? There had been fire. His thigh had been throbbing, the blood seeping from the ax wound that Rose left him, soaking his pants leg. But there was something else...a familiar warmth, but not from the fire.

Why couldn’t he see it?

The inky blackness that surrounded him left him at a loss. This wasn’t like his experiences with the other side before. There was nothing in sight, just endless darkness. But he didn’t feel afraid. He had dealt with death so many times before, had helped many people in their time of need. It was an experience he was used to and yet...this felt like none of those times. 

Where was he?

_ Uncle Dan. _

The voice was muffled, like a hand covering a speaker. It was distant, faint. Why did it sound so familiar?

_ Uncle Dan please...wake up. _

Wake up? Was he asleep? Slowly, he closed his eyes. If the voice came back, he would be able to focus on it, figure out where it was coming from. Maybe figure out who it was calling him. 

_ Please...please hear me.  _

There was a tremble in the voice. Was the speaker crying? Scared? What had caused them to be like that? But the tone was familiar, a small warmth coming over him. A familiar warmth. Like the sun had been when he sat down on a park bench with a young girl smiling up at him, discussing magic. 

Abra. 

Dan’s eyes snapped open, his head spinning around. Where was Abra? Was she safe? She had to be safe, if she wasn’t safe he didn’t know what he would do with himself. She had to be, they couldn’t ha-

** _She’s safe. She’s waiting for you Doc. _ **

The voice was behind him. A different voice. But one he knew so well, one that he thought was just a memory. If he looked behind him...would she appear as she had been for so many years? Those flies, awful revolting things, covering her face and blocking out the memories he had of her? He felt the tears at the corners of his eyes, threatening to spill over. Biting his lower lip was the only thing keeping that from happening. 

** _Go on Doc. Abra needs you. _ **

He felt himself being pulled forward. It had to be now, when would he see her again? 

Turning his head around, it felt as if everything was in slow motion. Her black hair framed her face in that messy way she always had it. The delicate, loving smile on her lips. And her brown eyes, which were as warm as he remembered, met his. There were no flies insight. 

“Mom…” his voice cracked and he tried to reach out for her, but he felt himself being dragged away. No, he had to have more time! There was so much he wanted to say, that he was desperate to tell her. Couldn’t he have more time?

The small smile on her face grew and she gently reached out, the warmth of her hand on his cheek bringing him back to that little apartment in Florida. After everything had happened, it was just the two of them. 

How he wished they had more time. 

“_**I love you, Danny**_,” her voice echoed, almost at a whisper, “**_I love you so much_**.”

“I love you too mom,” he throat bobbed, trying to hold everything back. It was like a flood rushing over him, how could he explain everything in such a short time? “Mom, I…”

“**_Go_**,” her hand trailed down his face, lingering for a moment before pulling away, “**_She needs you. And you need her Doc._**”

_ Uncle Dan… _

A warmth came over Dan’s hand, though he didn’t understand why. Was someone holding onto it? But he needed more time, just a little more time. 

The tears that he tried to hold back, that he had held back when speaking with his father -_had it really been his father?_-, spilled over his cheeks. There was no more time. 

He memorized his mother’s face, her loving gaze, her unkempt hair, the small curve of her smile before everything faded away. 

* * *

Whatever he was laying on, it was soft. Not like the cold, grimy ground of the Overlook’s boiler room floor. The room smelt different as well, sterilized. It reminded him of certain areas of the hospice. But the Overlook had smelt of mold, decay. 

Someone was holding his hand, their grip loose but comforting. Tentatively, he squeezed it lightly. It felt small in his hand, like when he had taken Ab-

Abra. 

His eyelids felt like weights were holding them down, but he managed to slowly open them. Everything was blurred and he blinked rapidly, trying to gain some sort of focus. There was a steady, familiar beat off to his right. His eyes slowly trailed up to it, taking in the tubes and wires connecting to his arm. 

They were in a hospital. His whole body ached, though it felt dulled over. He assumed from the drugs they were giving him. There was something wrapped around the upper part of his thigh, he assumed where Rose as dug the ax’s blade into him. But how…?

A light snore caught his attention and he slowly brought his gaze to the left.

Abra’s hand held his own, her arm acting as a cushion as she slouched herself over on the bed. Her eyes were closed, breathing steadily with an occasional snore. There wasn’t a scratch on her, not that he could see. She looked peaceful. 

She deserved to rest. So much had happened in the past few days. 

But how had they gotten here? How was he still alive? He had been in the boiler room, fire covering the space and then...then…

Nothing came to his mind. It was blank, like the chalkboard wall he had back in Frazier.

He searched his mind desperately, trying to find any sort of clue. There had to be something here. The only times he forgot things like this were when he had been blackout drunk and it had been years since then, so how was this happening now?

“Uncle Dan!”

Abra crashed into him, her arms around his neck, head resting on his chest. Dan yelped, sinking back into the pillows that he lay on. Hesitantly, he rested his hand on Abra’s head.

“Oh uncle Dan, I was so worried. I didn’t know what to do, everything was happening so fast,” Abra’s voice was muffled by his gown, speaking almost too fast for him to catch, “and then the police came and, an-”

“Abra,” his throat was dry, voice cracking. A smile tugged up his lips, “You’re going a little fast for me.”

The young girl looked up at him, her eyes misted over. The concern in them shined. “Sorry, I just…”

“Don’t apologize, it’s more me than you.” He kept his tone playful, trying to bring some sort of ease over her. 

She giggled, sitting up into her chair. Her hand rubbed her eyes, trying to whip away any possible tears. The dark cloud that had lingered over her thoughts, which he could feel through even his hazed mind, slowly began to brighten. “I was just so worried. When you didn’t come out of the hotel quickly, I thought…,” she trailed off, biting her lip, “but then you came out. And tumbled to the ground just as quickly and I didn’t know what to do.”

Dan’s eyebrows furrowed, confusion coming over him. He had walked out? Under his own power? “I don’t remember that…”

“I didn’t think you would…,” she stopped, taking his hand in her’s again. “When you came out I tried to call for you but it was like...someone else was there.”

“What?” 

“But it wasn’t one of the ghosts from the hotel,” Abra explained quickly, “It was different from when they had taken you over. It was...warmer. A woman.”

Dan’s heart felt like it would burst from his chest. The monitor off to his right confirmed that, the beeping becoming faster. “Did you see her?” 

Abra nodded and closed her eyes, “It would be easier to show…”

They had shared images with each other from time to time when communicating. It was easier than words sometimes. 

He stood where he assumed Abra had stood outside the Overlook. The building was crying out, the fire rolling over it from the inside. At the entrance, Dan saw himself. Leg covered in blood, the tone of his skin extremely pale. Sweat was pooling down his face. As Abra got closer, he saw his own body crumble and someone kneeling beside him. It was only for a brief moment, but he would recognize that hair anywhere. 

His mother. 

Dan opened his eyes and met Abra’s, whose smile was almost glowing. “I didn’t know your mom could do that. You never…”

“I didn’t…” he stopped, shaking his head slightly. It didn’t make any sense. How was that possible?

“Does it matter?” Abra asked, interrupting his thoughts. She flushed, “Sorry, I didn’t mean...I just...you’re here. That’s what matters doesn’t it?”

She wasn’t wrong. He didn’t think after the ghosts of the Overlook crowded over him, that he would leave that place. Not without hurting Abra at least. That had been his main concern when he fought back in the boiler room. He could die there, as long as Abra lived. She needed to live, she deserved to live. There was so much left for her, so may experiences that he didn’t want her to miss. 

It wasn’t that Dan didn’t want to live. To go back to the hospice. To bury Billy as he deserved. Maybe even see Abra grow up. But if he could do what his father couldn’t, he wanted that. His father hadn’t been able to fight back against the ghosts of the Overlook. They had swallowed him whole and drove him on a rampage against his own son. Dan refused to let that happen to Abra, for her to be scared by that sort of incident. He would do everything in his power to destroy the place that had ripped his family apart. 

It seemed like others had plans for him. 

Dan smiled, chuckling under his breath. “I guess it is,” he whispered, squeezing her hand, “thank you Abra. Without you…”

“You would have been able to come back,” she smiled, “I know you’re stronger than those crusty old ghosts. Especially that nasty tub lady.”

They sat together and laughed, talking until Dan had grown tired and leaned back into his pillows. Abra would stay by his side, at least until her mother came. Abra had explained enough to her mother, her name was Lucy if Dan remembered correctly, and she would be coming to Colorado. The nursing staff at the hospital didn’t have the heart to make the young girl leave the room. There was still much to do, but it was a struggle to keep his eyes open.

“Sleep uncle Dan,” Abra whispered, smiling down at him, “I’ll make sure nothing comes after us.”

Funny. Wasn’t it supposed to be the other way around? The thought made Abra smirk, raising her eyebrows, and Dan slowly let himself be embraced by his exhaustion. 

They would be ok. The nightmare, for the time being, was over. 

**Author's Note:**

> Can Wendy do these things? Probably not but hey it's fanfic and if I want Wendy saving Dan's life then dammit that's what I'm going to write! Hope you guys, whoever checks this out, enjoyed :)


End file.
